


Do You Trust Me?

by orphan_account



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, Canon Divergence, House of Hades, Jasico - Freeform, M/M, Pre Blood of Olympus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 04:42:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3433964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This fic attempts to explore what would happen if Jason and Nico had gotten to know each other before the encounter with Cupid</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do You Trust Me?

The bowels of the ship seemed to groan and sway, an eerie sound that seemed to perfectly fit the mood. Nico di Angelo was perched feebly in a chair, Hazel attending to his wounds and feeding him small amounts of ambrosia. No one knew what to do now. Percy and Annabeth were gone. Swallowed by Tartarus in an instant. The Athena Parthenos almost seemed to be laughing at them, knowing what a heavy sacrifice they had paid. 

Nico had come bearing heavy news and a somber presence. Both sides. The doors had to be closed on both sides to work. Nico had barely escaped from Tartarus with his sanity. How on earth would Percy and Annabeth be able to survive and close the doors? 

Dinner that night was a silent affair. Leo tinkered with something from his tool belt. Piper looked like she was fighting back tears. Jason shoved his head in his hands and tried not to focus on how much of a failure he was. 

“I’m sorry.” Every one glanced up in surprise as Nico spoke. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have—“ His voice choked off. He sounded hoarse. Like his voice was raw from screaming. For all Jason knew, it could have been. Hazel rushed to assure him that he wasn’t at fault. The rest of the crew quickly mumbled in agreement.   
And herein was the other problem. No one seemed to know what to make of the son of Hades presence. 

“Let’s just get some rest.” Frank suggested. “We can figure everything out in the morning.” It was the best plan they had thought of so far. Although sleep seemed like a luxury they couldn’t afford right now.

“Where should I sleep?” Nico asked.

“You can have Percy’s bed. It’s not like it’s…” Piper trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Nico adamantly shook his head. Jason couldn’t help but notice the wild gleam of panic in his dark eyes.

“Annabeth’s?”   
Again, he shook his head. “I-well, I don’t take up much space. I’ll just sleep in the hull or something.” 

Hazel suddenly rounded on him. “No way! You look awful and from what you’ve been through…well, when was the last time you’ve even slept in a real bed?” 

Nico pondered that for a moment. He looked depressed. Which was saying something, because the boy’s cheek bones were so hollow and his skin so ashen that he looked very much like the ghosts he could summon. “I can’t even remember. Probably not since I was ten.” 

There was so much shock to that statement. Everyone shifted around uneasily, not knowing what to say. “He can bunk with me,” Jason heard himself blurt out. He pretended not to notice the curious looks he drew from Hazel and Piper. Nico eyed him wearily. But he didn’t protest. He nodded, which seemed to satisfy Hazel to some degree. 

“Come on, then,” Jason gestured with his hand. “I’ll show you the way.” 

To be completely honest, Jason had an ulterior motive. He still didn’t exactly trust this guy. And if Hazel knew why he had volunteered for the kid, although she probably already did, she would most likely pelt him with a few of those gold nuggets she could summon.   
No one really knew the kid all that well. His body language and the aura of darkness that leaped off of him was enough for any demigod to get the warning: stay away. Percy and Annabeth were the only ones who had known him. But they weren’t here. 

_Please be safe._

“Here we are.” Jason pushed open his bedroom door and led Nico inside. Nico looked around, his arms cradled to his chest, his foot barely stepping into the entryway. 

“It’s very clean.”

“Ah-well,” Jason rubbed the back of his head. “Some habits are hard to break I suppose.” 

Nico eyed the bed in the right corner. “There’s only one.” 

“You can have it. I’m used to roughing it a bit. Sleeping on the floor for a while won’t hurt me.” 

Nico shook his head frantically. “No, I don’t want to inconvenience you. I’ll seriously be fine in the hull.” 

“Nonsense. I’ll be fine. Plus Leo usually works down there at night. Usually something explodes. I can assure you that you won’t get much sleep.” Plus, I need you in here so I can keep my eye on you. 

Nico finally took a step inside. He sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed. The guy looked exhausted. Jason, not being completely heartless, went and rummaged through his drawers and held out a t-shirt-the smallest one he owned-and threw it at Nico.

He caught it with surprise. “What? Why are you giving me your shirt?” 

“So you can have something to sleep in, duh.”

“No no no no,” he practically shoved the shirt back into Jason’s hands. “You’ve already given me your bed. I don’t need your clothes, too.” 

“I’m just trying to help you, Nico.” Honestly, he was getting a little offended. Surely the guy wasn’t so proud that he’d refuse. 

“Yeah, well…don’t. I didn’t ask for it. I don’t need your help.” 

Jason scoffed. “If it weren’t for our ‘help’ you’d still be stuck in that bronze jar. Take the damn shirt, di Angelo.” 

Nico, surprised by Jason’s outburst, took back the garment. “You know you didn’t have to rescue me. It wouldn’t have mattered if I-if I had—“

“Stop.” Jason held up his hand. “You’re talking crazy. After you get some sleep, you’ll feel a little better.” 

Nico looked like he seriously doubted it but said nothing nonetheless. Jason tore off his own shirt and threw it to the floor. He’d fold it later. When Jason turned back around, Nico hadn’t moved. In fact, and surely Jason was just imagining it, his cheeks looked scarlet. 

“I-I’m just going to go to the bathroom and change.” He practically sprinted out of the room. 

By the time Nico came back, Jason was dressed in his pjs and had made a makeshift palette out of some spare linen. Jason’s shirt looked ridiculous on him. Nico was half the size of Jason and the purple SPQR shirt swallowed him whole. It hung off his shoulders in a comical way, revealing some of the scars beneath. Nico’s hair was down to his shoulders, pulled back slightly with a rubber band. 

Jason wanted to say something. He looked so pitiful it was sort of heartbreaking. Then he reminded himself why Nico was here in the first place. _I’m not making friends with him. I’m just trying to see what his motives are. That’s all._

Although there really wasn’t much to observe. Nico climbed onto the bed and instantly turned his back to face him, curled up in a fetal position. After only a few seconds, he was snoring. 

Nico di Angelo snores when he sleeps. He’d file that away for future reference. 

\--  
Jason woke up in a cold sweat. Fear washed over him in droves, his worst memories coming back to haunt him. Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus, looking upon the goddess Juno and dying, his mother. Everything kept playing out over and over and over again. He ran his arm across his face but then noticed that there were tendrils of dark ribbons hanging off him. He tried to rip them off but his fingers slipped right through. _Shadows_ he realized. 

Nico.

Over on the bed, Nico was shivering violently. The temperature had dropped so low that tiny bits of frost had formed on the bed. The closer he got, he could tell that Nico was murmuring something in his sleep. It sounded like a plea. 

Jason reached out and gingerly shook the boy. Nothing. He tried it a little harder, then went to outright shaking him. 

_Gods how deep a sleeper are you?_

Finally, after several minutes of screaming his name, did Nico finally woke up. Well more like he bolted awake. His sword magically appeared in his hand and he thrust the point right at Jason’s throat.

He lept back. “Dude! Watch it!”

Whatever nightmare that had a hold of him, left. Nico’s eyes calmed a bit. He stared at the sword, then back at Jason, realization dawning on him. Slowly the shadows in the room disappeared. The frost melted. 

“I-what?” His voice was thick with delirium. 

“You just tried to slit my throat.”

“I did? Sorry.” 

Jason wanted to say that sorry didn’t really cut it but Nico was still shaken, still had that faraway look in his eyes. “Was it about Tartarus?”

“Y-yeah. It was pretty bad tonight.”

“I could tell. The darkness was practically rolling off you.” 

Nico cast him a look so vile that it was as sharp as the steel of his sword. “Didn’t mean to wake you from your beauty sleep.” He jumped up and started gathering the blankets in his arms. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Going somewhere else. I knew this was a bad idea.” 

Before Jason could stop and think, he had jumped up and grabbed Nico by the arm. Bad idea. Nico’s sword again found itself in the groove of Jason’s throat.   
“Get your hands off me.” He didn’t say the rest. He didn’t need to. The threat was clear. Jason held up his hands in surrender, kept them there until Nico had left the room. 

After he left, Jason finally let out a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. Now, more than ever, he wanted to crack the mystery of Nico di Angelo. 

~*~

The next day at breakfast, Hazel pulled him aside. Her golden eyes were stormy and violent. “What did you do to my brother last night?” 

“I didn’t do anything.” 

She scoffed. “Yeah right. I saw him curled up at the table this morning. He looked exhausted. Did you really kick him out?”

“No, I—“

“I mean, I know you don’t trust him, but geez Jason he just escaped from Tartarus for goodness sake! Give him some slack.” 

“Whoa, hold up Hazel. I didn’t kick him out.” 

“You didn’t?” 

“No. He left on his own.” _With his sword pointed right at me._ He didn’t say that last part. 

Hazel backed up a little. “Why would he do that?” Her eyes had lost that threatening gleam so Jason felt safe to tell her what had happened. “Oh, Nico…” She looked toward her brother, who was sitting at the far end of the table picking at a grape. “I’ll talk to him. But please Jason, be patient. I can’t imagine what he went through. What Percy and Annabeth are—“ Her voice cracked a little. 

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Hazel.” 

“You still don’t trust him.” She said it more like a statement than a question. Jason was surprised to find that it was no longer true, well not completely true anyways. 

“I don’t not trust him. I’m just a bit wary.” And that was the truth. After glimpsing a bit of the son of Pluto-er Hades-weakness, he had found that there was more desire to get to know Nico rather than push him away. 

Hazel studied him for a moment. “Look, Jason, I know how my brother seems to people. He’s guarded and doesn’t let people in. But trust me when I say that it’s not the whole person. Nico saved my life. And I trust him with it. Don’t forget that he risked his own trying to find the Doors of Death for us.” And with that she left him without another word, her steely gaze never leaving him. 

He watched her as she walked back over to Nico, placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t push her away, nor did he flinch. He just took her hand and gave her a tender smile; a smile that Jason thought he hadn’t had the capability of making.   
\--  
Jason always made an effort to get to know his comrades. He remembered reading about Julius Caesar, a famous son of Minerva, and how every one of his soldiers had been ready to die for him just because of how much trust and loyalty he inspired. Of course, Jason didn’t want any of his friends to die for his sake. He didn’t want any of them to die period. But the concept was the same. He knew that loyalty among members went a long way in battle. Now that Nico was a member among the Argo II, he wanted to earn his trust. Or at least a look that didn’t paralyze him with fear. Ever since that night, Jason had been growing more and more curious about the son of Hades. And Jason was nothing if not persistent. 

Nico was currently at the very top of the ship, perched on the yardarm. He claimed he did it because he could keep watch. Of course nobody on board believed that for a second. When Jason flew to the top, Nico almost fell overboard with shock. 

“What the-? What in Hades name are you doing up here, Grace?” 

His face was so full of surprise that Jason wanted to laugh. It was nice to sneak up on him for a change. “Uh, just to see if you wanted dinner or not.” Okay, even Jason didn’t buy that lame excuse. Nico didn’t buy it either according to the look he gave him. 

“I’m not hungry.”

“I seriously doubt that. All I’ve seen you eat since you’ve been here is one grape. That’s hardly a steady diet.”

“I appreciate the thought.” He sounded like he really didn’t. “But you don’t have to babysit me. I’m fine.” 

Jason thought back to how he had been after his nightmare; trembling like a leaf. “Are you sure? Because you didn’t seem so last night.” 

For a millisecond, Nico’s façade cracked and Jason saw how terrified he really was. But then just as soon as it appeared, it was gone; a steely gaze replacing it. “Look, I’m sorry that I almost stabbed you. It was pure reflexes. But I’m fine, ok? You can leave me alone now.”

Jason didn’t budge. 

“Since when have you cared, anyways? Is this another opportunity for you to play hero and get everyone to like you? If so, then you’re wasting your time.” 

Sparks flew off of Jason’s fingertips. There was nothing he hated more than his golden boy rep. “Hey, man, that’s hardly fair! I’m just trying to talk to you. Get to know you. Is that really such an awful thing to do?” 

“You’re the first to ever try.”

Jason’s anger quickly deflated. “Seriously? But, what about the people at your camp? Surely they would have-“

Nico cut him off with a humorless laugh. “I’m a child of Hades, Jason. I’m practically garbage to them.”

“But so is Hazel and people never treated her with contempt.”

Nico’s voice grew a bit softer. “Hazel is different. She’s warm and sweet. I, on the other hand, only radiate death and fear.” 

Jason couldn’t deny that fact. Nico could strike fear into the hearts of many demigods. It was the reason why Jason was so interested. “Do…do you want to talk about it?”   
“No. And not to be rude, but I’d rather just be by myself for a while.” _Or else I’ll throw you off the side of this ship._   
Jason nodded, taking the hint. “You’re still welcome in my room, if you want,” was the last thing he said before leaving. 

\--  
Surprisingly, Nico came back into Jason’s room. Although they never did really talk. In fact, Nico did his damn best to make sure he never made eye contact with the son of Jupiter. Jason tried to induce conversations out of him but usually it was way past midnight and both were too tired to even think. Nico would fall asleep in an instant and Jason would wake up hours later due to the fear radiating off of him. 

All in all, it didn’t make for a pleasant sleeping arrangement. 

He could hear Nico whimpering all throughout the night. Muttering things like, “no please” or “get off, it hurts”. Nico’s face, usually somber and menacing, changed into one of heartbreaking innocence. Jason felt terrible that there wasn’t anything he could do. He wasn’t a child of Hypnos. He couldn’t control dreams. Nor was he Piper, who could charmspeak him into peacefulness. 

Instead he would make his way into the kitchen and make a cup of hot chocolate and leave it beside him. Nico more often than not would wake up moments later. Although he never heard him drink it, the cup was always empty in the mornings. 

He had also started flying up to the yardarm to sit with him. Nico would always look at him strangely but Jason didn’t budge. He also didn’t try to pressure the boy into saying anything; he just sat there to keep him company. It reminded Jason of when he would try and befriend the local cats into letting him pet them. Nico was a thousand times more stubborn than a local stray. 

Finally after the fourth day in a row of him sitting there, did Nico finally say something. “Why are you always sitting up here with me? You don’t have to.” 

“I know. I want to. It’s nice up here. Shame I never noticed.” 

“Shouldn’t you be down there coming up with war strategies? Or, I don’t know, talking with your girlfriend?”   
“Piper’s not my girlfriend.” He said quickly. 

Nico’s eyes widened. “She isn’t? But I thought you two were close.” 

“We are. But…uh…well it’s sort of complicated.” 

“How so?” 

“Oh no. You don’t get to know details about me unless you share some about yourself.” 

Nico blew out a breath but said nothing. Jason thought that would be the end of it and they’d go another day without talking. But then Nico said, “My favorite color is green.”

Jason smiled. “Really? I thought for sure it would be black.”

Nico glared at him. “My sister-well my other sister, Bianca-she wore green a lot. She wore this green floppy hat when she was alive. I still have it. It’s my only possession of hers.”  
Jason almost fell off the yardarm in shock. Nico had actually shared an intimate detail about himself. Somehow this seemed like the biggest accomplishment Jason had ever earned. 

“Now you,” Nico said. 

“Ok, fine.” Jason hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to format his words. This seemed to always happen when he talked about Piper. “Back when I still had amnesia, I had all these memories of Piper and I. How we were boyfriend and girlfriend and had all these romantic moments together that later turned out to not even be real. I think it was worse for Piper, who seemed to take a lot longer for the mist to wear off. When it did, neither of us felt right into continuing a relationship that was fake. We decided it would be better to get to know each other as friends and then decide if we liked each other or not.” 

“That seems pretty cruel, to be given fake memories like that.” 

Jason snorted. “Yeah, it is. I just hate it for Piper. She really liked me. Now neither of us really know where to go from here.” 

“Do you like her?”

Jason shook his head. “Nope, that’s not how this works. It’s your turn now.” 

Nico scowled. “Those are some stupid rules.” 

“Do you want to know or not?” 

“Fine. Uh…well when I was younger, I sort of liked pirates.” He said the last part so quietly that Jason had to strain to hear him. 

“You mean the ones with the eye patches and the peg legs?” 

Nico nodded. “I was just a stupid kid. My mother read us lots of history books so I guess that’s how I became obsessed.” 

“Hey, every kid has something they obsessed over.” 

Nico shrugged. “I guess.”

“What was your mother like?” 

Nico smirked at him. “That’s not how this works remember?” 

“Oh, right. Well, to be honest, I don’t know how I feel about Piper. She’s a great friend. A wonderful friend. And she’s a fun person, but…Well, I just really don’t know about our future together. It’s sort of hard to worry about romance and dating when we have to worry about dying at any given moment.” 

Nico nodded like he understood, although Jason didn’t see how he could. “What about you? Do you have anyone you like?” Annabeth. He remembered how Piper had told him about her suspicions of Nico’s crush. If it was true, it made a lot of sense why Nico didn’t want to sleep in her cabin. Or in Percy’s. 

Nico seized up like he had been electrocuted. “No, there isn’t.” He snapped. 

“Okay, okay.” Jason held up his hands in a placating gesture. “We don’t have to talk about that. Tell me about your mom.” 

Nico’s shoulders deflated. “I don’t remember much about her. I only remember parts of her face, like her image has been distorted or something. She wore these string of pearls around her neck. Bianca always liked to reach out and stroke them. When we moved to America, she insisted we speak Italian at home. She didn’t want us forgetting where we came from. She was smart. Self-educated. Back then, it was rare for women to go to college. 

So she read tons and tons of books so she wouldn’t sound like just another poor immigrant woman. She bestowed upon us the same principles. Like I said, she would read us history books and the daily newspaper. She always said, ‘People will look upon you and judge you harshly just because of where you came from. You must never prove them right.’ Looking back on it, I think she was also referring to us being children of Hades.” 

Jason noticed that when Nico talked about his past, his eyes would become far away and melancholy. As much as he cherished these memories, they also must be incredibly painful for him. Jason had to resist the urge to reach out and comfort him. 

“I didn’t know my mother, either.”

Nico turned his head in surprise. “You didn’t?” 

“No. And from what I do know of her, it isn’t pleasant. Thalia told me she was an alcoholic and that she horribly neglected both of us. The closest mother figure I’ve ever known is the wolf goddess Lupa.” 

Suddenly Nico doubled over laughing. It was such a surprising noise coming from him that Jason could almost believe he dreamed it. When he caught Jason looking at him, he hurriedly explained. 

“Sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. A mental image of you nursing with a bunch of wolf pups popped into my head. It was a funny thought.” 

Jason had to crack a grin at that. “I probably did. Maybe that’s why all of us Romans are so feral.” 

“You just described Reyna wonderfully.” 

They both burst into laughter at that. Deep, belly shaking laughter. When he looked up, Nico was wiping tears from his eyes. His smile unguarded and genuine. He’s sort of good looking. Jason blanched. Whoa, how did that thought enter his head? He looked again and this time really noticed the son of Hades features. His eyes were beautiful. A deep brown that almost transcended into black. But they were deep and soulful when they weren’t piercing a hole through a person. _He’s just a regular kid. How could anyone think he’s creepy?_

Nico smiled, about to say something when they heard shouting. “Hey, get back here you stupid dwarfes!” 

Leo. Something was wrong. 

“We better go check it out,” Jason said. Nico nodded, solemnly. Whatever ease they had created instantly evaporated. Nico’s mask slid into place once again and they both descended down to the deck. 

~*~  
After their talk, Nico let Jason around him more often. They would spend hours talking up above the Argo II, hanging out on the yardarm like fast and steady friends. The topics ranged from silly to serious. And the more Jason learned about Nico, the more he liked him. They sat together at meals and through Jason’s insistence, Nico began to eat a little more. 

This change was not lost on the rest of the crew. Hazel had drawn him aside once again and thanked him. “I don’t know what you’re doing,” she had said, “but please don’t stop. I’ve never seen my brother act so open before.” 

Leo was just downright confused. “What do you guys even talk about anyways? Zombie summoning 101? How to raise the dead in ten minutes or less?” Jason had quickly scolded him for this. 

“Nico’s not as creepy as you make him out to be, Leo. He’s just a regular kid like you and me.” 

“Right. And when you say regular, you mean abnormal.” 

Jason just walked away. 

Once he had found Nico in their room heaving into a wastebasket.   
“You’re not getting seasick are you?” 

Nico shook his head. He still looked a little green. “No. I’m just upset.” 

“You want to talk about it?” Jason had expected him to say no. This time he didn’t. 

“I just…I just keep thinking about Tartarus. I’m worried for Percy.” He quickly added, “And Annabeth. I hope they’re alright. They have to be alright.” 

Jason slowly sat down beside him. Of course this was the major thing that kept him up at night. He was terrified for his friends. He prayed to his father for their safety daily. He had to believe that they would find a way to rescue them. “Hey, you said it yourself. Percy is the toughest demigod you know. And I know for a fact that Annabeth is the smartest. Together, they’re unstoppable.” 

Nico nodded. Jason’s words seemed to console him. “Y-you’re right. We just have to keep figuring out a way to rescue them and close the doors. Easy.”   
They had to keep telling their selves that anyway. 

\--  
Then came the big reveal. Their encounter with Cupid and Nico’s confession. Suddenly everything clicked into place and became crystal clear. The reason why Nico isolated himself, why he didn’t let himself get close to people. Jason couldn’t even imagine the self-loathing Nico had went through all these years. Nico had been shunned in both worlds, mortal and godly, for factors he simply couldn’t help. Jason thought he failed because he could never live up to people’s expectations. Nico had never even been a blip on people’s radar. 

Nico grew distant after that. They didn’t have their daily talks and Nico’s nightmares seemed to get worse and worse. One night it had gotten so bad that Jason literally woke up out of a dead sleep fearing for his life. This time he didn’t hesitate to wake Nico up. Shadows hugged him like a vice. He reached out and tried to swat them away. The wooden walls of the ship rotted to an ashen black. Jason hoisted Nico into his arms and gently slapped his face until his eyes flew open. 

He looked around, disoriented, then seeing where he was, burst into tears. Jason held him as he sobbed, stroking his back in large circular motions. It seemed they stayed that way for hours; Nico’s body convulsing and Jason rocking them back and forth. Finally, Nico quieted. When he looked up, his eyes were rimmed red and still glistening wet with tears. Jason used his thumb to swipe them away. 

Nico leaned into his touch, seeming to find comfort in it. And Jason, for the life of him, didn’t know why he did it; he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Nico’s. He gasped in surprise but then let himself fall into Jason’s touch. The son of Jupiter ran his thumb along Nico’s jaw line gently. He threaded his fingers through his hair and used his other pull Nico closer, closer until the younger boy was practically in his lap. 

Nothing had ever felt so right in Jason’s life. Nico’s skin was soft and felt nice against his palms. Nico’s arms came up and circled Jason’s neck using the leverage to draw himself up on his knees until he straddled him. Their kissing became heated, fast and desperate. Nico kissed him like he was trying to wash away every last remnant of his nightmare.   
Jason was in Elysium. That was until Nico pushed away. “Stop!” He gasped. “I-I can’t do this.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” 

“I can’t-I can’t get my heart broken again. I can’t let myself fall for another straight boy. I wouldn’t be able to handle another Percy.” Nico’s breath grew rapid, signs that Jason knew were from an incoming panic attack. He pressed Nico’s forehead against his own and murmured softly. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, Nico. I promise.” 

Nico pushed away. “You can’t promise me anything! You can’t just learn my biggest secret and then try to seduce me!”

“I’m not trying to seduce you!” 

Nico’s tone was mocking. “Oh? Then why did you kiss me?” 

“I,” Jason faltered. “I don’t know.”

Nico scoffed. “You don’t know. Look, I’m not some quick fling that will satisfy your teenage hormones. I have more pride than that.”

“Who said it was anything like that? Look, I like you-“

“You like me?! Look, we’re friends Jason, but I’m not putting my heart on the line for another fucking straight guy.” 

“Quit assuming that you know my sexuality,” Jason practically screamed. “I’m not straight.” 

This seemed to throw Nico through a loop. “You’re not?” 

“No! Do you know how sexually open the ancient Romans were? They fucked every one. Men with men. Women with women. Threesomes, twosomes, hell it didn’t matter to them. It’s still like that, even now. You being gay isn’t exactly an odd thing, Nico.”

All the air seemed to leave Nico’s body. He slumped against Jason’s shoulder and Jason feared he would start crying again. He rubbed his back soothingly. “I’m sorry you’ve felt so alone. And I wasn’t trying to get in your pants. I kissed you because I like you. Over these past few weeks, I’ve gotten to know you. I judged you way too quickly in the beginning. That was wrong of me and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you, either. That was wrong on my part. You were upset and I let myself get carried away. We can just go back to sleep if you want. We can forget this ever happened.” 

Nico mumbled something against his chest. 

“What?” 

“I said I don’t want to forget.” Nico used Jason’s shoulders to raise himself up. His mouth hovered a few centimeters away from Jason’s. “You really like me?” 

“Yeah, I do. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”

Nico kissed him. “Then help me.”

Jason was practically feverish from the contact. “How?” His voice was thick and syrupy.   
“Distract me for a while.”

\--  
Jason fell forward onto the mattress, Nico trapped beneath him. Their kisses were becoming more heated by the second. Jason sucked the younger boy’s bottom lip into his mouth and released it with a smack. Nico moaned hotly and Jason could feel his groin shiver. He bent down and attacked Nico’s mouth again, running his tongue along the boy’s patella, then down the side of his neck. 

“Is this your feral side coming out?” 

“You have no idea.” Jason growled. 

Nico raised his leg up and rubbed it against Jason’s now half hard cock. Jason paused mid kiss and shuddered out a ‘fuck.’   
“Keep doing that,” he pleaded. Nico did. The friction felt amazing, his whole body humming from excitement. Jason quickly threw his shirt to the ground and slid out of his pants. Nico rubbed his fingers along the grooves of Jason’s stomach and pelvis. “I’ve only ever seen stuff like this in my dreams.” 

Jason grinned stupidly. He was surprised at how quickly he’d gotten attached to this person. “Is it ok if I take yours off as well?”   
Nico nodded and raised up, letting Jason pull the oversized shirt off. Jason’s fingers fumbled on the buttons of the jeans. His fingers kept slipping, shaking. He muttered a small curse. Suddenly Nico reached down and undid them for him. 

“Nerves don’t really suit you.” Nico smirked at him which just made him all the more flustered. 

“I-well, this is…I’ve never done this before. I don’t want to mess up.”

“It’s not like I have anything to compare this to. You could be completely awful and I would never know the difference.” 

“Do you want to stop? I don’t want to pressure you in to anything.” 

Nico paused to consider this. “No, I don’t. I’m tired of thinking. I just want to feel something for once. I want to know what it’s like to be held and to be touched. Just for tonight?”   
Jason reached down and kissed him again. His nerves seemed to calm down a little. He slid Nico’s pants off, leaving him in only his boxers. He buried his nose in Nico’s crotch and inhaled. Nico let out a slight grunt as Jason’s hot breath wafted over him. The son of Hades was fully hard by this point. Jason pulled him out and into his mouth.   
Nico hissed at the contact. Jason immediately retracted. “Is something wrong?” 

“N-no. Just wet.”   
Jason chuckled. “Well, yeah. It is my mouth.”

Nico jerked his hips up to tell him to get on with it. So he did. And holy shit, did it feel good. Nico was hot inside his mouth and Jason could taste the slight saltiness of his skin. He gripped Nico’s shaft with his hand and jerked him off while simultaneously sucking on the tip. Nico bucked against his palm, squirming underneath him. His little moans and pants that leaked out, turned Jason on immensely. Knowing that he was doing this to him, knowing that he had only ever seen Nico liked this, thrilled him to no end. 

“Fuck, Jason. Please…” Nico’s head was thrown back, his knuckles white as they gripped the sheet. “Feels good.” 

Jason kept sucking, letting his tongue slide over the slit. He knew from his own quick hand jobs how sensitive that part was. Nico inhaled sharply, breaking off into a moan. Jason kissed up Nico’s thighs, sucked in the skin and nibbled with his teeth. Hell, maybe he really was wolf like. He kissed further down, bringing his tongue to slide across the groove. 

Nico jerked back. “Did, did you just lick my ass?” 

“Did it not feel good?” 

Nico shook his head quickly. “N-no. It felt nice. Do it again?” 

Jason had no problem in granting that request. He spread Nico’s ass cheeks apart with his thumbs and prodded the puckered hole with his tongue. Nico bucked his hips again, his cock rubbing against Jason’s cheek. 

Jason remembered reading something about this once. How you needed to prepare someone thoroughly or it could be painful. Thankfully he had lube hidden under his mattress. He pulled it out and squeezed a small amount onto his fingertips. 

“You just happen to have that lying around?” Nico smirked. 

Jason flushed scarlet. “Like you said, I’m a teenage boy with hormones. Sue me.” 

Nico gestured with his hand for Jason to continue. He slowly inserted one finger, carefully judging Nico’s reactions to how fast or slow he could go. He slowly worked his way up to two fingers, then three. Jason looked up and saw that Nico had reached down to grip his thighs tightly, spreading them wider for better ease. It had to be the most erotic sight Jason had ever seen. Nico spread open before him, completely laid bare and wrapped in complete pleasure because of him. 

_How could I have ever mistrusted him? Gods, I’m an idiot._

“You’re gorgeous,” Jason blurted out. 

Nico’s head snapped up. He blushed. Another thing for Jason to take note of: how quickly the younger boy became flustered. “H-how can you even say that about me? Have you seen yourself? Compared to you, I’m nothing spectacular.” 

“That’s not true.” Jason lifted Nico’s right leg and propped it on his shoulder. He kissed the inside of his knee. “I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful.”  
Nico worried his bottom lip. “You must have pretty shitty taste.” 

Jason swatted him on the leg. “Please, don’t say that again. There’s nothing wrong with you, Nico.”   
Nico propped himself up on his elbows and studied him, his head cocked to one side like a bird. “Why do you like me so much? I know it’s not because of my charming personality.” 

“Because you’re strong. You’ve been through so much, yet you still pick yourself up and try to do the right thing. You would do anything for the people you love. And despite what you say, I can tell you just want someone to show you some love and kindness. You’ve been starved of it. I like you because you’re not at all what I expected.” And Jason meant every word of it. He couldn’t exactly articulate his exact feelings just yet. Everything was still so new. But his stomach felt like it was plummeting like a fall from high altitude. Scary yet exhilarating. 

“I think this conversation is best to wait until morning.” Nico said softly. “Right now,” Nico’s eyes glimmered with an unspoken challenge. “Show me how to fuck, Praetor.” Jason’s cock twitched. He leaned down and slowly drew a kiss from Nico.   
And so he showed him.

~*~  
Jason slowly cracked one eye open. The first thing he felt was soreness. His entire body was sticky and he had no earthly idea how he was going to get cleaned up before the others saw him. The second thing he felt was Nico’s hair tickling his chin. He looked down to where the son of Hades was snoring softly on his chest. He had one arm slung over Jason’s bare torso. Jason stroked a strand of hair away from his forehead. Nico’s face lacked all its usual fatigue and hardness. His features were almost ethereal.   
Nico shifted a little, nuzzling his face deeper into his chest. Jason smiled. He wanted to stay like this forever. No war to worry about, no primordial goddess to face. Just the peace of laying in his bed with Nico tucked against him. 

But then he heard soft shuffling of feet and he knew that they needed to get up or risk discovery. He shook Nico’s shoulder until he cracked open one eye. “I’m trying to sleep, Grace. Leave me alone.” 

“Trust me, I’d love to sleep in. But since we have monsters to kill and a war to face, we can’t.” 

Nico sighed. “What a lovely thought to wake up to.”   
“Also we sort of need to take a shower.”   
That got him up and moving. They managed to slip their clothes on and get cleaned up before anyone noticed anything amiss.   
\--  
Somehow they had managed to save Percy and Annabeth and close the Doors of Death. It was complete and utter chaos but somehow Nico, with the help of Hazel, managed to transport them all to safety. It was a bittersweet reunion. Tartarus had left its mark on the two. Their eyes were lifeless, their bodies weak and pale. There was no time for talking or resolving anything. Nico stayed as far away as he could from Percy, even though Jason had seen him go up and try to talk to him.

Shortly afterwards, Reyna arrived with Scipio, who had to be euthanized because of severe injuries. Together with her, they made a plan on how to transport the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half Blood. Nico immediately volunteered. It shouldn’t have surprised him. But Jason couldn’t hide how disappointed he was. And scared. Nico had signed up for a dangerous job, one where his odds of surviving were slim. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know.” Jason had cornered him right before he left. If there was even a slight chance that Nico could die, there was no way Jason was leaving things open ended. 

“Yes I do. I can’t stay here. You know that better than anyone.”

“We could always figure something else out.” Jason could hear the desperation in his own voice. Nico must have noticed it, too. 

“Look, Jason, getting that statue back to camp is the only way to win this war. I’m the only one who can do this.”

The logical side of Jason’s brain kicked in. Nico was right. This was the only way. It wasn’t fair, Jason knew, for Nico to willingly risk his life again. But when had their lives ever been fair?

“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”   
Nico nodded. “Don’t worry. Reyna’s a force to be reckoned with. I’m sure we’ll be fine as long as she’s there.”

“Don’t forget about Coach Hedge. He can land some serious damage with that bat of his.”   
Nico let out a small laugh. “Yeah.” Suddenly it seemed like neither of them knew not quite what to do or say. 

“Look, about last night—“  
Nico held up his hand. “We’ll figure it out. You, know, after everything is over. I-I still have a lot of stuff to, you know, sort through.” 

Jason nodded. Now wasn’t the time to focus on romance. They would have plenty of time to worry about that after they defeated Gaea. If they defeated Gaea. “Look, Nico, no matter what happens, no matter what conclusion you come to, I still want to be your friend. That’s one thing that is never going to change.” 

Nico gave him a true genuine smile. “Thank you. I trust you.” Nico was echoing his own words spoken only hours ago. When he had taken the poison from him and drank without a moment’s hesitation. 

Jason pulled him into a bone crushing hug, buried his nose in his feathery soft hair, and kissed him one more time. Then he watched as the Athena Parthenos grew smaller and smaller as the Argo II sailed into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> I seriously don't know if I like this or not. It's my first time writing jasico so I hope it came out ok.


End file.
